Reasons We Love Kansas

BY Cecilia Harris

IN THIS ISSUE Unique Breweries

Founded in 2016, this brewery serves Norse-inspired entrees and salads alongside freshly brewed craft beer. Typically on tap year-round are Odin’s One EyePA, Shield Maiden Wheat with Rye, and Raiding the Highlands Scottish Ale; at least eight other brews are seasonal. The beers pair well with trencher sandwiches, also known as “Smørbrød,” thin slabs of bread used during the Middle Ages as plates before being eaten.

Flying over much of Kansas, you can look down and see large circles of green fields created by center pivots, industrial sprinklers that water crops in a circular pattern. These patterns inspired the name of the popular brewery in Quinter when it was opened in 2018 by brewer Steve Nicholson, his wife Ericka, and their business partners, Roger and Carrie Ringer. The brewery specializes in creating unique lines that pair with the specialty dishes. Nicholson’s Cracked Pepper Cream Ale, for example, is recommended to go with the eatery’s popular chicken fried steak. The Taw Taw City, a pomegranate wheat beer, and the unique Dr. K, a novel colainfused beer, also are favorites.

Named for Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the town of Pittsburg, Kansas, dropped the ‘h’ in the late 1800s, likely following a recommendation by the United States Board on Geographic Names in the interest of standardization. Paying tribute to the community’s heritage, Drop the H Brewing company was opened in 2019 by Mark and Cathy McClain, who saw the opportunity for a brewpub in the southeast Kansas university town. Skillfully crafted beers are brewed on-site and New York-style pizzas are made from scratch bake in a brick oven. Although the in-house craft beers rotate, fan favorites such as Langdon’s Lager, Belgian Wit, and The Local are usually on tap.

A conversation between friends Beau Martin and Greg Bush during a Kansas City Royals playoff game led to the opening day in 2019 of Outfield Beer Company, where the love of baseball teams up with fresh craft beers. Paying homage to America’s favorite pastime, the neighborhood microbrewery’s line-up includes rotating craft beers such as a Berliner Weisse called Wild Pitch, a Helles-style ale named Lost in the Lights, and Shut Out Stout. Lake of the Forest Monster, a double dry hopped IPA, is the most popular seller. New beers are on deck. Monthly events include trivia nights and corn hole tournaments.

The brainchild of Cody Cundiff, Colin Williams and Michael Cole, the self-proclaimed “hang-out style” brewery lacks a kitchen, but food trucks feed families playing foosball and arcade, board and card games. Additional entertainment includes comedy nights, live music, trivia nights, and even a book club. Adults sip on beers made in-house, including the bestselling El Compadre, an adjunct lager with a crisp, refreshing flavor profile. Another crowd pleaser is BTG Strawberry Honey Wheat. A portion of the proceeds from Cherokee Plains, a hazy IPA, goes to a charity.

Martin Luther, the catalyst of the 16th-century Protestant Reformation, favored beer from Einbeck, Germany, made by brewmaster Berend Brauer, an ancestor of Brian and Ian Smith, the current owners of Three Rings Brewery. The name of the brewery is also a tribute to the Smiths’ family connection to Luther— who was believed to drink from a grand stein featuring a design of three rings. Opening in 2016, Three Rings has a range of local favorites, including a blonde ale called Yankee Rose and an IPA named Vertigo; popular seasonals are Oktoberfest and a New England IPA.